Vergil Villa.

A fire blazed in the stone fireplace, its flickering flames illuminating every corner of the room.

Warmth filled the entire room. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Vergil’s corpulent body was sunk deep into the leather sofa. A long-legged blonde sat on his lap, and the two were affectionately cuddling, having a grand old time. The bodyguard in sunglasses stood beside them like a statue.

"Darling, will that Chinese man agree?" the blonde whispered, breathing softly into Vergil’s ear.

Vergil’s thick, stubby hand caressed the blonde’s long leg, a confident look on his face.

"He will."

"Chinese people are all cowards. I’ll have my men scare him a little more, and he’ll definitely accept my ’goodwill’."

"Once I get that piece of land, I can build a smuggling base connected to Mao Country. Then I’ll become a legitimate arms dealer and make all those bastards lick my boots."

"But according to my intel, that Chinese man has a lawyer friend with some connections in Fairbanks." The blonde ran a slender, pale finger across Vergil’s greasy, fat face.

"He’s just some city councilman from the Independent Party. I’ll send someone with a ’gift’ tomorrow. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll shut his mouth. Otherwise..."

"As for our little friend, I’ll arrange a scenic spot for him."

A vicious glint flashed in Vergil’s eyes, which were squeezed into narrow slits.

「Fairbanks.」

The open-air RV camp at the Ice Art Park Winter Events Center.

Two young Indians drove into the camp, got out, and hurriedly entered an RV with Indian-style paintwork.

When they came out, their faces were grim. They jumped back into their car and sped away from the RV camp.

「Fairbanks Police Department.」

Bird put down his phone. The office fell silent. Even his female assistant, who had just hiked up her skirt in preparation for ’battle’, sensed the oppressive atmosphere, pulled it back down, and quietly left.

SLAM!!

Hearing the loud slam from the room, the female assistant was startled and scurried away with her head down.

She hadn’t seen Chief Bird like this in a long time. He hadn’t even gotten this angry last year when two gangs had a shootout with AK-47s on the streets of Fairbanks and he got chewed out by the governor.

In the office, Chief Bird stared at the brand-new iPhone he had just smashed, his face so dark it looked like storm clouds were about to burst.

A moment later, he picked up the phone, dialed an internal number, and issued an order.

"We’re deploying. Expect heavy firefights. All units, bring heavy weapons."

「The FBI office in the capital of Alaska.」

A man with a hooked nose was holding his cell phone. Hearing only a busy signal from the receiver, he couldn’t help but curse.

"Dammit, why did that fat pig have to provoke Frank? Shit, pick up the phone!"

「The State Capitol Building.」

Lady Kelly’s high heels went CLICK-CLACK-CLICK, the crisp sound echoing down the empty hallway.

Her smooth blonde hair swayed slightly as she walked.

Her exquisitely made-up face was fixed forward as she pushed open the door to the governor’s office without a second glance.

....

「AST Office.」

However, Feng Mountain was still oblivious to the turmoil outside, currently receiving a baptism by Frank’s spitfire lecture.

Frank was breaking down his reckless behavior piece by piece, mincing no words in his analysis.

First, for buying explosives, of all things, he had tried to save a few bucks by going to Vergil with that idiot Tom.

He had an FFL, so why didn’t he just go to a legitimate gun store? He could buy whatever he wanted there.

Furthermore, it wasn’t necessarily Tom who had leaked the information about the loan.

Bob from Wells Fargo Bank, the governor’s assistant Kelly, and any of the bank employees could have spread the news.

If he hadn’t gone running around on his own behind Frank’s back, none of this would have ever happened.

"Wanting to be independent is a good thing, but you have to assess the situation clearly and learn to use your head." Frank’s tone was full of reproach and helplessness, as if he were scolding his own grandson.

Feng Mountain obediently lowered his head and admitted his mistake. "I know I was wrong. I didn’t think things through."

Frank glanced at him and sighed heavily, just about to say something else.

A knock came at the door, and an officer walked in holding a file. "Mr. Frank, this is Tom’s statement. From the interrogation, it’s clear he’s not a suspect. It looks like he was just trying to help, using his own channels, and ended up making a mess of things."

"Thanks." Frank took the file, glanced over it briefly, and nodded to the officer. "Please bring Tom in."

A short while later, a dejected Tom walked into the room and stood next to Feng Mountain, his head also hanging low.

They looked just like a pair of buddies caught misbehaving in class by the teacher, sent to stand outside the classroom as punishment.

"You two!" Frank didn’t know what to say to them. He just turned and walked out of the room.

Tom looked at Feng Mountain. "Buddy, I’m sorry. I swear to God, I absolutely did not leak the news about your loan."

"I believe you." Feng Mountain looked back at Tom’s unlucky expression. ’We’re both just unlucky bastards, no point in blaming each other.’ He sighed, patted him on the shoulder without another word, and said, "Let’s go. Frank’s waiting for us outside."

Leaving the AST Office, Frank had a cigarette dangling from his lips as he opened the car door. Feng Mountain, looking as wilted as a cucumber, slid into the passenger seat.

Tom started to get in too, but Frank stopped him, jerking his chin toward the Pickup Truck in the next parking spot.

"What about your truck? Drive it yourself. Lin’s Asian Bistro Restaurant. You know how to get there."

"Oh!"

Tom scurried back to his Pickup Truck. Luckily, the keys were hanging from the Steering Wheel, so he didn’t have to go back inside.

The two vehicles drove out of the AST Office, one after the other.

They merged into the endless stream of traffic.

....

「Meanwhile, in a remote suburb of Polaris Town.」

A scene straight out of a movie was unfolding. A group of mysterious, masked men wielding various weapons was launching an assault on Vergil Villa.

On the walls of Vergil Villa, several bodyguards raised their guns and returned fire wildly.

The sound of gunfire was a continuous CRACKLE and POP.

Tracers streaked through the air, forcing the attackers outside the villa to temporarily take cover.

"Ruka, they have a defensive wall and heavy firepower! We can’t get close!" a masked man shouted to another who appeared to be in command.

"Dammit! I knew we should’ve brought heavier weapons." The commander raised his AK-47 and sprayed a burst of fire at the wall.

The battle reached a stalemate.

One side couldn’t break in, and the other couldn’t escape.

Inside the villa, Vergil paced anxiously back and forth at the entrance, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he waved a golden handgun.

"Shit! They dare to ambush me! Good thing I had security cameras installed! Everyone, hold on! I’ve already called the police, they’ll be here soon! If I make it out of this alive, it’s a 50,000 US Dollar bonus for each of you!"

As the saying goes, a hefty reward is sure to attract a daredevil.

Hearing the 50,000 US Dollar bonus, the bodyguards howled with excitement. They had a wall for defense and a warehouse full of weapons and ammunition. Holding the villa would be no problem at all.

"Brothers, put your backs into it! If we hold this place, we’ll be rich!" one of the bodyguards shouted excitedly.

Just then, a deafening explosion erupted. The wall shook violently and then collapsed with a RUMBLE, burying the bodyguards who had been standing on it in a heap of rubble, their fates unknown.

The interior of the villa was exposed to everyone’s view.

The inexplicable explosion brought the firefight to a halt on both sides.

After a brief silence, the attackers were the first to react, charging toward the villa with excited shouts.

The commander, lying in the dry grass, turned to look at his companion. "Takiq, did you order someone to blow the wall?"

"No, none of us brought explosives."

"Then who did it?" The commander looked blankly in the direction of the explosion.

’Dammit, who was it?’

Fear finally showed on Vergil’s fat face. He stared in disbelief at the collapsed wall. It had been made of reinforced concrete; ordinary explosives couldn’t have breached it. Not unless they used professional rock blasting charges.

And the only place that had professional rock blasting charges was the villa’s own warehouse.

At that thought, Vergil whipped his head around.

A dagger instantly plunged into his chin.

He saw that his attacker was none other than the woman he trusted most, Dasha.

The dagger pierced his throat, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

"You... GURGLE... why...!" Vergil’s voice was garbled, his eyes filled with utter disbelief toward Dasha.

He couldn’t even believe that the traitor was Dasha.

Dasha had been with him for over five years. They weren’t married, but they were closer than most couples. If it were for money, he had already handed over management of his business to her and was even planning to propose after securing the Crown Territory.

Dasha reached out a finger and, just as she always had, traced a line across Vergil’s face.

"Vergil, I actually quite liked you. You just shouldn’t have provoked someone you can’t afford to provoke. Go to Hell!"

Before her words had even faded, Dasha pulled the dagger from his chin and turned to leave.

Vergil clutched his gushing neck, his body collapsing heavily to the ground, his eyes still wide open in defiance.

Even in death, he couldn’t understand just who it was he had provoked that he couldn’t afford to.

Dasha went around to the villa’s backyard and pulled open a hidden door, where several big-nosed men were waiting for her. They had been there for some time.

"Is it done?" one of the men asked in a low voice.

Dasha nodded slightly, a trace of exhaustion in her eyes. "Yes. Proceed as planned."

"Good. Come with us."

The men moved quickly, escorting Dasha away from the chaotic scene.

Their figures quickly vanished into the wilderness, leaving only the hidden door swinging gently in the wind.

The group of masked men from the front charged into the villa and saw Vergil’s lifeless body collapsed at the entrance. They looked at each other in bewilderment.

’What the hell?’

’How is the target dead?’

’Was there a third party that wanted Vergil dead?’

Just as the men stood there, bewildered, the sound of police sirens filled the air.

"Takiq, we’re pulling out." The commander pulled out a grenade, tossed it onto Vergil’s body, then turned and jumped onto an ATV to leave.

BOOM!

With the explosion, the man known as Vergil was no more.

...

WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO!!

The entire Fairbanks Police Department was deployed. A dozen or so police cars, lights flashing, arrived at the villa in the suburbs of Polaris Town.

The sirens pierced the quiet sky, the alternating red and blue lights exceptionally dazzling.

Police cars sped in one after another, their tires screeching against the pavement.

When they arrived, the sight of the demolished wall, the smoldering villa, and the bodies buried under rubble startled the officers, who all drew their weapons.

Chief Bird stormed over from the back of the convoy, about to reprimand his subordinates, but when he saw the tragic state of the villa, his mouth fell open in stunned silence.

’What the hell?’

’He’d just gotten the call, and Vergil’s villa was already attacked? With this much of a commotion, using explosives and everything?’

’Who did this?’

’Could it be Frank?’

"Chief, what do we do now? Should we call for backup from the Special Response Team?" an officer asked, coming to Chief Bird’s side.

’With a scene this big, backup is the least of my worries. It’s obvious the battle is over. I’m just here to clean up the mess.’

Chief Bird’s brow furrowed, his eyes fixed on the ruined villa. After a moment of thought, he said, "Backup my ass. Get in there and search for survivors. We’ll conduct a preliminary survey and assessment of the scene first."

Then he pulled out his phone and got back into his car.

...